Celgene Corp, which is in the process of being acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, has reached an option agreement with privately-owned Immatics Biotehnologies GmbH of Germany that would give it access to prospective cell therapies for cancer. Celgene already owns clinical-stage T cell therapies for cancer arising from its 2018 acquisition of Juno Therapeutics Inc.
Amgen Inc has reached an agreement with Celgene Corp to buy its psoriasis asset Otezla (apremilast) for $13.4 billion in cash, thus enabling Celgene to proceed with its previously announced merger with Bristol-Myers Squib Company. The merger, announced in early January, will combine the oncology and inflammation franchises of BMS and Celgene. But US regulators had raised questions about the two companies’ potential dominance in the area of psoriasis. The asset disposal is expected to satisfy these concerns.
Synpromics Ltd, located near Edinburgh, UK, has been acquired by Asklepios BioPharmaceutical Inc (AskBio Inc) of the US in order to create a new gene therapy company with expertise in adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector therapies. Synpromics has expertise in gene control by way of a synthetic promotor technology that enables genes to be switched on and off to control protein production.
Bayer AG is to take full ownership of BlueRock Therapeutics LP, a regenerative medicines company that is developing engineered cell therapies in the fields of neurology, cardiology and immunology. Bayer, together with Versant Ventures, launched BlueRock in 2016 at a time of heightened interest in cell based therapies.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc has shifted three candidate vaccines targeting filoviruses to the US non-profit organisation, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, as it restructurings its portfolio to put a bigger emphasis on oncology, HIV and respiratory diseases. The products are prophylactic vaccines to prevent infection from the Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan and Marburg viruses. They entered GSK’s portfolio when the UK company acquired Okairos AG in 2013.
Less than a month after entering a collaboration with Genentech, Sosei Heptares has concluded a new G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-directed partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. The companies said they will initially discover targets for new gastrointestinal medicines, but this could expand to other therapeutic areas in the future.
Takeda already has a discovery collaboration with Sosei Heptares in the gastrointestinal area.
Germany-based Wellington Partners has closed its fifth life sciences fund with a capital raise of €210 million for investments in companies developing medicines, devices, diagnostics and digital technologies. The new fund will primarily target opportunities in Europe.
It expects to invest in approximately 15 to 20 companies with a particular focus on German-speaking geographies. It will however also consider opportunities in North America and Asia.
The French company, Alizé Pharma 3, has raised €67 million in a Series A financing round to advance two preclinical products for rare endocrine and metabolic diseases into clinical development. The funding round was led by Life Sciences Partners of the Netherlands and included Novo Ventures, Kurma Partners, Orbimed, Pontifax, Partners Innovation Fund and Innobio 2, which is managed by Bpifrance.
The existing shareholders, Sham Innovation Santé/Turenne Capital, Crédit Agricole Création and TAB Consulting also participated in the round.
Zambon Company SA has extended its presence in respiratory medicines with the acquisition of Breath Therapeutics Holding BV, a clinical-stage company with a product for treating patients with lung transplants who are at risk of dying because of a condition known as bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS).
Sosei Heptares has entered into a multi-target research collaboration and licence agreement with Genentech to discover and develop medicines that modulate G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), membrane proteins that are involved in a broad range of biological processes and diseases. GCPRs play a central role in cellular physiology including the regulation of the immune and nervous systems and the growth and metastasis of some types of tumours.